The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-12-08

soul after thee, o God" Oh, bring me
water from this WELT Little child, who has
learned of Jesus in the Sabbath school,
bring me some of that HviDg water. Old
man, who fifty years age didst find the
we'll, bring me some of that water.
Stranger in a strange land, who used to
hear sung amidst the highlands of Scot
land, TO the tune of "Bonnie Doom" "The
Star, the Star of Bethlehem" bring me
some of that water. Whosoever drinketh
of that water shall never thirst. "Oh, that
one would give me drink of the water Of
the we'll of Bethlehem, which is by the
gate"
Again, this Gospel we'll, like the one
spoken OF in the text, is a captured we'll.
David remembered the time when that
good water of Bethlehem was in the pos
session of his ancestors. His father drank
there, his mother drank there. He remem-
bered how the water tasted when he was a
boy and came up there fIom play. We
never forget the old we'll we used to drink
out of when we we're boys or girls. There
was something in it that blessed the lips
and refreshed the brow better than any
thing we have found since. AS we think
of that dear old well the memories of the
past flow into each other like crystalline
drops, sun glinted, and all the more as we
remember that the hands that used to lay
hold the rope and the hearts that beat
against the well curb are still now. We
never get over these "reminiscences. George
f. Morris, the great song writer of this
country, once said 20 me that his song,
"Woodman, Spare That Tree" was sung
in great concert hall, and the memories
of early life were so wrought upon the
audience by that song that, after the sing
ing was done, an aged man arose in the
audience, overwhelmed with emotion, and
said: "Sir, will you please to tell me
whether the woodman really spared the
tree2" We never forget the tree under
which we played. We never forget the
man who has no early memories!
David thought of that we'll, that boyhood
we'll, and he wanted to drink of it, but he
remembered that the Phiistines had cap
tured il. When these three men tried to
come up to the well in behalf of David,
they saw swords cleaning around about it.
And this is true of this Gospel well. The
Philistines have at times captured it. When
we come TO take full, old fashioned drink
of pardon and comfort, do not their swords
of indignation and sarcasm flash? Why,
the skeptics tell us that We cannot come to
that fountain! They say the water is not
fit to drink, anyhow. "lf you are really
thirsty now, there is the we'll of philosophy,
there is the we'll Of art, there is the we'll of
science" They try to substitute, instead
of our boyhood faith, modern mixture.
They say great many beautiful things
about the soul, and they try to feed our
immortal hunger on rose leaves, and mix q
mint julep of worldly stimulants when
nothing will satisfy us but "a drink of water
| of the we'll of Bethlehem, which is at the
gate" They try to starve us on husks,
when the fathers banquet is ready, and the
best ring is taken from the casket, and the
sweetest harp is struck for the music, and
the swiftest foot is already lifted for the
dance. They patronize Heaven and abolish
hell, and try to measure eternity with their
hour glass, and the throne of the great
| God with their yard stick! / abhor it.
tell you the old Gospel we'll is captured
| we'll. pray God that there may be some-
where in the elect host three anointed men,
| with courage enough to go forth in the
| strength of the omnipresent God, with the
glittering swords of truth, to hew the way
back again to that old we'll. I think the
| tide is turning, and that the old Gospel is
to take its place again in the family, and
in the university, and in the Legislative
hall. Men have tried worldly PHILOSOPHERS,
| and they have found out that they do not
| give any comfort, and that they drop an
| Arctic midnight upon the death pillow.
| They fail when there is death chill in the
house; and when the soul comes to leap into
| the fathomless ocean of eternity, they give
| to the man not so much as a broken spal
to cling to. Depend upon it, that we'll will
come into our possession again, though il
has been captured. If there be not three
anointed men in the Lords host witt
| enough consecration to do the work, ther
the swords will leap from Jehoyah's buck
ler, and the eternal three will descend
God the Father, God the Son, God the
Holy Ghost-conquering for our dying
race the way back again to the water o1
\ the well of Bethlehem, which is by the
gate" "If God be for us, who can be
against us?" "If God spared not his own
Son, but freely gave Him up for us all
how shall He not with Him also freely give
us all things?" "For l am pursuaded thai
neither height, nor depth, nor angels, mol
principalities, nor powers, nor things pres
ent, nor things tc come" shall take from
US, into final captivity, the Gospel of my
blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, the Gospel we'll, like the one
spoken Of in my text, is well at the gate
The traveller stops the camel to- day, anC
| gets down and dips out of the Valley Of
the East some very beautiful, clear, bright
water, and that is out of the very we'll thai
David longed for. Do you know that the
we'll was at the gate, so that nobody coulC
go into Bethlehem without going righ
past it? And 30 it is with this Gospel vel
it is at the gate. 1t is, in the first place
at the gate of publication. We canno
wash away our sins unless with that water
take the responsibility of saying tina
there is no man, woman, or child in this
house to-day that has escaped sinful de-
Element. Do you say it is outrageous anC
ungallant for me to make such charge
Do you say, 81 have never stolen, l have
never blasphemed, have never committed
unchastity, l hay never been guilty o.
MURDER" l reply you have committed
sin worse than blasphemy, worse than un
chastity, worse than theft, worse thar
murder. We have all committed it. W.
have, by our sin, re-cruciied the Lord
and that is decide. And if there be an,
who dare to plead mot guilty" to the in
dictment, then the hosts of Heaven will
be impaneled as Jury TO render unani.
nous verdict against us; guilty one, guilty
all. With what a slashing stroke that one
passage cuts us away from all our preten
sions-"There is none that doeth good; 40
not one." "Oh," says some one, call W,
want, all the race wants, is development.
Now | want to tell you that the race de,
velops, without the Gospel, into Sodom
Five Points, great Salt Lake City. l
always develops downward and never up.
ward, except as the grace of God lays holt
Of it. What, then, is to become of oul
souls without Christ? Banishment. Dis.
| aster. But | bless my Lord Jesus Chris
that there is well at the gate of purifica.
ton. For great sin, great pardon. Fol
| eighty years OF transgresslon, an eternity
Of forgiveness. For crime deep as hell
an atonement high as Heaven; that where
sin abounded, so grace may much more
abound; that as sin reigned unto death
L Avan so NAV nrnca rainn fhrn1nh rinhfnnnn-